The Festival Of Ganesh Utsov

The festival of Ganesh Utsov is an eleven-day period of rich religious and spiritual significance set aside for the special worship of Lord Ganesh. Observed in the month of Bhadrapad (August-September), this ‘utsov’ or festival is marked with celebrations  the world over. This year, the festival begins on September 04, 2016 and will culminate on September 17, 2016, the full-moon day.

Lord Ganesh is known by various names such ‘Siddhivinayak’ (The bringer of success), ‘Vighna vinaashak’(The remover of obstacles) and ‘Vakratunda’(The elephant-headed one). During this auspicious period, devotees perform worship to  this form of Divinity, make various offerings to Him and praise Him through the medium of mantras, kirtan, bhajan and various scriptural verses. Supplications are made to Him as the remover of obstacles, the bestower of wisdom, knowledge and  ‘vivek’, the power of discrimination. His intervention is also sought for success at the commencement of undertakings.

The final day of the festival ends with Visarjan or final immersion which signifies the effort to realise God within, to merge the individual soul with the Super Soul, God Himself.

Ganesh Bhagavan- The Discriminative Power

The deep philosophical truths entrenched in Hinduism are a rich source of guidance to man’s perennial search for enlightenment for they serve as firm foundation blocks, purposeful maps and necessary reference points on the  route to fulfillment, order and justice for all. The symbolism surrounding Lord  Ganesh, the Remover of obstacles and Bestower of wisdom and Success, is a clear expression of some of these truths, found to be greatly applicable and  much needed  in the world today.

One of the names of  Ganesh Bhagavan is ‘Gajaanan’-the elephant- headed Lord. This form of the Lord is portrayed as having a human body with an elephant- head. The elephant trunk itself  symbolises ‘vivek’ or the discriminative power. It is that power or ability to distinguish the real from the unreal, right from wrong and the transitory from permanent aspects of one’s existence. With the tool of vivek we are equipped to successfully confront challenges, to face problems fearlessly and to overcome obstacles, whether they are caused by ‘daihik’ (physical), ‘daivik’ (supernatural) or ‘bhautik’(environmental) factors.

One of the major obstacles that overwhelm us is that of the duality or distinction that we envision in almost everything as we tread along this earthly sojourn. The merging of the elephant head and human body of Lord Ganesh indicates the state of non-duality or non-distinction which we should all strive to attain. It suggests the melding of the individual with everything and everyone so that there is unity among all. We become one with the world, thereby according equal consideration and non-differential treatment to our fellow-man. This awareness evolves into a continuing expansion of consciousness that ultimately leads to the one Absolute and Infinite Brahman. We become one with the world so that we give equal consideration and non-differential treatment to our fellow-man. The Mahavaakyas  express this non –distinction in the maxim: ‘Aham Brahm Asmi- God and I are one’.

The question, then, is what causes this division and exclusivist attitude that sometimes direct our behaviour? Too often , ‘avidyaa’ or ignorance is allowed to navigate our lives  as we construct our world with the blocks of partiality, mistrust and various prejudices. We miss the true significance of this concept of unity in duality, of acceptance and tolerance of each other. Various likes, dislikes, fears, attachments and egoism, borne out of ignorance consume our world. We fail to apply the discriminative power dispassionately as we stumble on obstacles at every step on the journey of life. We become judgemental and subjective as rifts, both psychological and emotional, are created. We cut ourselves off from true awareness. We perceive ourselves as separate entities from our fellow-man and deny ourselves opportunities for embracing harmony, love, bonding and unity. Of course, such circumstances offer very little hope for spiritual progress.

The period of Shri Ganesh Utsov reminds us of the power we wield over our own lives when we weigh our challenges on the scales of ‘vivek’, when we display resilience and fortitude in the face of obstacles and when we acknowledge the fact that each of us is part and parcel of the same Divinity. Indeed, it is often said that obstacles are seen when we take our eyes off our goal. At this wonderful time of rejoicing, for this is what ‘utsov’ signifies, what is required is a change of VISION, not just the scenery. We need to clear the veil of maya or illusion that blinds us from acknowledging that relationship we share with each other. Scriptures declare: ‘Eshwar ans jeev avinashi –we are all part and parcel of that one God’. Each of us is divinity personified . As we celebrate this occasion, we ought to recognise this  and resolve to refuse to submit to the lower tendencies of anger, lust, greed, jealousy, and arrogance as we interact with others. We should choose, instead, to demonstrate peace, sincerity and respect as we strive for success.  We must arm ourselves with the sword of vivek and aim to destroy the asuras (demons) of negativities that distract us as we travel the God-ward path.

As we worship and receive the blessings of Lord Ganesh during this most auspicious period of rejoicing,  our lives will certainly be blessed with vivek  and wisdom so that we reach beyond ourselves and harmonise our lives with that of the cosmos.